DESCRIPTION: The prime function of the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) is to self-regulate advertising in New Zealand. Advertising Codes of Practice provide the rules by which all advertisements in all media should comply. Members of the public may complain at no cost about any advertisement in any media which they believe breaches the Codes. Complaints are heard by an independent Advertising Standards Complaints Board (ASCB) and there is a right of appeal to the independent Advertising Standards Complaints Appeal Board (ASCAB). In the event of a complaint being upheld the advertiser, agency, and media are requested to withdraw the advertisement.
ADVERTISING STANDARDS AUTHORITY INC, (ASA) (previously known as Committee of Advertising Practice) was formed early in 1973, and incorporated in late 1990. Its membership, in accordance with self-regulatory principles, are requested to be bound by the decisions of the Advertising Standards Complaints Board (see below), is made up of representatives from the: Association of New Zealand Advertisers(Inc) Communication Agencies Association of New Zealand Community Newspapers Interactive Advertising Bureau of New Zealand Letterbox Media Association Magazine Publishers' Association (Inc) Newspaper Publishers' Association of New Zealand (Inc) New Zealand Cinema Advertising Council New Zealand Marketing Association (Inc) New Zealand Post New Zealand Television Broadcasters Council Outdoor Advertising Pay TV Group Radio Broadcasters Association (Inc).KEY WORDS: The three main objectives are: To seek to maintain at all times and in all media a proper and generally acceptable standard of advertising and to ensure that advertising is not misleading or deceptive, either by statement or by implication. To establish and promote an effective system of voluntary self-regulation in respect to advertising standards. To establish and fund an Advertising Standards Complaints Board. To these ends ASA introduces and amends Codes of Practice. These have been developed for specific categories of advertising where they are considered necessary. Where appropriate the Codes have been developed in consultation with industry, consumer groups and government departments.